Legends of the Avatar: Beginnings
by GillianZonder
Summary: Wan was a thief, banished from his home for stealing fire form the Lion Turtle. He was a wanderer, who unwittingly split the great Spirits of Light and Dark apart. He was the first Avatar, who subdued the Darkness and would give his life trying to guide the world towards peace and balance. [Rewrite of 'Beginning of Legends']
1. Thief in the city

**Legends of the Avatar**

_**Beginnings**_

…

_Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light._

Chapter 1: Thief in the city

It was busy at the marketplace that morning, dispite the overhanging clouds that promised rain within the hour. It wasn't cold, though, and many people had gathered to trade their wares. As usual, the busiest cart belonged to the yelling couple and their sons, not only because they were the loudest, but also the best. The quality of their fruit and vegetables was beyong compare in the city and they delivered directlyto the Chou's palace. They were also one of the richest families in the city, even if they still were under the rule of the Chou's. But no member or servant of the biggest and wealthiest family there was was present right now, so people gathered around the cart of the Yan's, hoping their own wares were interesting enough to trade for a plump turnip or a basket of oranges. Up in front were the potter and the blacksmith, two of the best craftsmen around. Behind them came other craftsmen, people who held animals to trade and then people with less desired materials, but everyone hoped to come by at least something to eat for that day.

Suddenly, the crowd parted to let through three chubby young men in adorned clothing. Their faces were so alike they had to be closely related. They were followed by a number of guards with long spears and mean glares. Some people exchanged looks, but most of them got out of the way and father Yan greeted the three cheerfully. Huan, Lung and Tai were the sons of Chou the Elder and they were to be treated with respect. Not many people, especially among the poorer citizens, were fond of the Chou's but they were rich and had ruled to city for as long as anyone could remember. They employed nearly everyone not in bussiness as a farmer or craftsman and nearly half city relied on them for work, food and shelter, working as servants in their palace or as labourers on their farmlands. There were only a few people who didn't work for the Chou's directly or indirectly and they were all poor, living on the edge of the city and of civilisation.

By the time the Chou brothers and their guards left, father Yan had to announce they were done trading for the day, while motioning his sons to start packing a cart to deliver to the Chou's palace later. The people who had had the chance to trade shrugged and went home or talked to others who still had wares, but the sky darkened and most citizens rushed inside. Raindrops fell, but some people still lingered, hoping to take what mother Yan gave away because it was about to go bad or to snatch whatever was left behind. One of the last was a little girl wearing a brown tunic that had seen better days, with her dark hair in tangles. She held a basket full of handmade paper flowers that were getting soaked in the rain and she begged the Yan's to trade them for whatever they had left.

"I'm sorry, but all we have now goes to the Chou's palace," mother Yan said.

"Can't you miss just one thing..." the girl pleaded, but she got shoved out of the way by father Yan as he passed to load another basket on the cart.

"Go home," he said. The girl's lip started to shake and she turned around and walked away, her head bowed.

She was just making her way down the street to the outskirts of the city, wiping the tears from her face, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to a skinny young man with messy brown hair, ragged clothes and a gleam in his eyes.

"Hey, Wan!" she exclaimed happily. "I had no idea you were here."

"You know I'm good at hiding." he replied. He conjured an orange from somewhere inside his tunic and handed it to the girl. "Are you hungry?"

She took it, but she had a bit of a distrusting look on her face. "You stole that."

"Yeah, I did." Wan said. He shrugged.

"My sister says stealing is wrong." The girl seemed unsure if she should hold on to stolen goods, turning the orange around in her hands.

"The Chou's take so much there's barely anything left for people like us," Wan said. "I call that stealing too."

"Maybe. I guess." the girl said. She put the orange in her basket. "I didn't steal it, you know." she said. "You gave it to me. I have no idea where you got it." She cover her eyes with her free hand. "I know nothing." Wan laughed.

"You enjoy that, okay?" He turned around and started to go back up the hill.

"I will!" the girl said. "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about it," Wan called over his shoulder.

…..

Later that day, the clouds cleared up a bit and a watered down sun shone through. It was nearly noon when a number of delivery carts were nearing the entrance of the Chou's palace. The three borthers were at the gates, playing with the cords tied around the shafts of their spears. They weren't exactly there to inspect the incoming goods, they had servants for that, the truth was that they were bored and didn't have much else to do but watch their soon to be meals arrive.

"Hurry up, will you?" the oldest, Huan, yelled. The man in the first cart was startled and got up to whip the goathorse pulling the cart.

"Pft. Peasants." Huan sighed. His two brothers nodded in agreement.

Guards pulled the gates open from the inside and one by the one, the carts rolled through. The brothers watched, looking slightly more bored than before. Then, Tai, the youngest, noticed something as he was letting his gaze wander to the last couple of carts. He pulled his pinky finger out of his nose and blinked a few times before he jumped to his feet, pointing his spear frantically.

"Thief!" he yelled on the top of his lungs. His two brothers and a number of guards and servants looked up. Tai sputtered a bit as he got his fat legs moving. Lung and Huan folowed suit and soon they had overtaken their little brother.

At the back of the last cart, Wan nearly tripped over his own feet when he turned around and tried to run for it as quickly as possible. In his right hand, he clutched a bag of fresh bean buns. He knocked and old lady over as he made his way down the city's main street.

"Sorry!" he yelled over his shoulder. He took a sharp turn into an alley, still running at full speed. He was fairly sure he could manage to outrun the three brothers, but another quick glance over his shoulder told him they were closer than he had expected. He had been slowed down a bit when he had bumped into that old woman. Nevertheless, Wan was a fast runner and he knew these streets well.

"Hey, stop!" he heard one of the Chou's yell. _Not a chance_, he thought and he took another sharp turn into a larger street. There were more people here, though and while most of them needed a few moments to grasp the situation, some of them tried to grab Wan, but he was quick and agile and they barely slowed him down. He took yet another turn, stopped briefly behind a wall and poked his head around the corner. His pursuers were closer than he had anticipated, just halfway the alley they had left behind and the street he had just ran into. Dispite their posture, they were pretty fast and the people in the street pointed them in his direction. He scowled, turned around and hurried away as the three brothers came running. He came to a dead end, but he jumped and crawled over the wall, scraping his shins and almost losing the bag of bean buns in the process. Just as he landed, he heard the brothers curse and yell from the other side. Grinning, he started to run again.

"Give up and go home!" he yelled over his shoulder, although he couldn't be sure the brothers heard him.

Wan started to slow down further down the hill. He still couldn't believe his luck. He had tried to steal from the Chou's before, but had never actually gotten away with it. He didn't want to know what they would do to him if they would catch him and that was why he had always been extremely causcious in the few attempts he had made at stealing food from them. The Chou's thought themselves untouchable and there hardly was anyone willing to stand up to them. The richer families didn't care, the poor people were too afraid. Wan liked to think, or hope, he was talented and lucky enough to defy the Chou's. His friends would probably say he was definitly stupid enough.

He rounded another corner and bumped into someone that just happened to be doing the same from the other direction.

"Hey, watch where you're..." The middle Chou brother cut his sentence off midway, his eyes widening. Wan froze on the spot. For a moment, all four young men struggled to grab the unlikeliness of the situation. Wan was the first to snap out of it and he started to turn around, but the middle brother got hold of his arm.

"Got you, thief." he grinned. Wan tried to wrench his arm loose, a blind panick threatening to cloud his reason. The other two were stepping in from both sides to pin him down. He didn't have time to think. In his free hand, he still held the bag of buns, so he threw it at one of the brothers in hopes of distracting them. Surprise was all over the oldest Chou's face and he dropped his spear while he was trying to decide if he should catch the bag or fend it off. The youngest blinked dumbly and the middle one loosened his grip just slightly. It was enough for Wan to pull himself free. Instead of running back into the alley he'd just left, he jumped into the youngest of the brothers, throwing in all his weight. With a loud "Ungh!", the young man hit the ground and Wan rolled off him and hurried to his feet. The oldest brother was still struggling with the bag, the middle one was completely caught of guard and the youngest taken out for now, so Wan had the opportunity to run and so he did. He didn't look back for even a split second.

It had started to rain again by the time Wan made it back to the lowly wooden hut that stood amongst the trees at the very outskirts of the city. It had one room, the only piece of furniture was a low wooden table and the only items on it were a cracked teapot, one cup and a worn pai sho board with only half the pieces required for a proper game. The missing peices had been replaced with pebbles. Leaning against the right wall was Wan's hutmate and closest friend, Jaya. He was a few years younger and shorter, but just as skinny. His skin was more tanned but his hair was just as messy, although he tied it up in a bun too keep it out of his face. Jaya took one look at Wan's scraped shins, his empty hands and the dissapointed look on his face and he sighed.

"What happened?" he asked as Wan went to set by the table and grabbed the teapot to see if there was anything worthwhile in it. Wan shrugged. Jaya raised an eyebrow.

"Did you try to steal from the Chou's again?" he pressed. Wan looked at him apologetically but with that gleam in his eye. Jaya rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I almost got away with it." Wan said, pouring the cold leftovers of yesterday's tea into the cup. His friend shook his head.

"It's a bad idea to even think about stealing from the Chou's." he said. "You didn't get caught, but it's only a matter of time if you keep trying." Wan nodded, he had heard this speech before.

Jaya rolled his eyes again.

"Anyway," he said. "I managed to come by some leftovers from the farm." He held out a chipped bowl half filled with what looked like mud. Wan pulled up his nose slightly.

"It's stew." Jaya said. "And it's the best I could come by." Wan reluctantly took the bowl. The stew was cold but it didn't taste too bad and he finished the meal faster than he liked.

"What about Yao?" he asked as he put the bowl aside.

"Asleep." Jaya nodded his head in the direction of what looked like a pile of old rags in the back of the hut. Yao was an old man and the third occupant of the small hut. Wan and Jaya had found him rummaging around the hut one day. He had been scared dispite the good intentions of the two young men and it had taken them forever to convince him to come inside. Yao was truly an outcast of society because of a horrible disfigurement: more than half of his body was covered in bark like a tree. Wan and Jaya didn't know what exactly had happened to the old man, but it was obvious enough he had wandered away from the city too far and had been attacked by a Spirit from the Wilds. Yao only ever made allusions of what had happened to him and Wan and Jaya didn't ask about it. Yao was mostly quiet, very polite and infinitly gratefull when the boys brought him food. He didn't eat too much and knew to leave the hut to do his business in the bushes, so the other two didn't mind him being around.

The rain kept falling steadily so neither Jaya or Wan left the hut that afternoon. They were at their third round of pai sho and Wan was completely stuck, even if he didn't want to admit it. Jaya leaned back on his hands. Yao was awake and quietly observed them from his corner. The game failed to distract any of them from their hunger, though. It was usally like this, but that didn't make their situation any less miserable.

"Maybe I'll go by nana Ming's later," Jaya said. "She was making mashed almonds this morning." Wan mumbled something under his breath.

"Maybe she'll have some radishes left," Jaya continued. Wan looked up, shrugged and fixed his gaze back on the pai sho board.

"Or some old carrots."

"Oh, shut up."

"Well, I'm hungry."

Wan rubbed his temples and resisted the urge to say something mean to his friend. "We're all hungry."

"Maybe if you had brought something back this morning..."

"So it's my fault?" Wan snapped. He hated it when Jaya acted like this. Sure, the younger man brought back food more often, but Wan always managed to come by the best things, even if he usually failed to steal anything worthwhile. But when he did, they ate like Chou's.

"It's not your fault," Jaya said it in such a way he could be suggesting the exact opposite, followed suit by a look that was both apologetic and accusing. Wan tried to ignore it.

"Okay, you win." He said, waving a hand at the game board. "Wanna go again?"

"Sure."

About an hour later, Wan was completely stuck again. It still rained and he was still hungry. The only difference was that he felt angrier and somehow more drained at the same time. Jaya saw his scowl.

"I could go to nana Ming's to see if she has any mashed almonds left." he said. Wan just groaned. He ignored Jaya's look as the other young man got up and left the hut. His mood had not improved the slightest by the time Jaya got back with nana Ming's leftovers.

"It's better than nothing," he said as he wrenched the water out of his clothes, standing in the doorway.

"I'm tired of eating scraps." Wan said. He picked the teapot up again, although he knew there wasn't anything in it. He sighed. "I wish I could just get into the Chou's food cellar. They have everything and we have nothing."

Jaya sat down in front of him. "Well... That's just the way it is, Wan." he said. "Some people have power and some people don't. And we don't."

"So we should just sit around and accept it?" Wan put the teapot back on the table with more force than he had intended. His hand shook a little. Sometimes, he got so sick of Jaya's passiveness.

"Well, what can we do?" the younger man replied. "We can't craft weapons. We're not Hunters."

"Oh, if only we were!" Wan threw his hands up in the air. Ever since he was little, he had dreamed of becoming a Hunter someday. As he grew up, he knew it was nothing but a little boy's dream, but he just couldn't let go of it.

"Fire, you know?" he said and the gleam in his eyes was back. "I can only imagine what it must be like..."

"Keep dreaming," Jaya said, using his finger to scrape up the mashed almonds from his bowl. His tone wasn't exactly sarcastic, but it came close.

"Dreams are some of the few good thing I have left." Wan answered, having a hard time keeping the sadness out of his voice.

"...I'm sorry." Jaya muttered. He held out the bowl.

"Forget about it." Wan took the bowl but he handed it to Yao instead. The old man thanked him extensively and ate as if the mashed almonds were the tastiest thing he'd ever eaten.

That night, Wan dreamt about hot fires and about himself in a Hunter's outfit. People bowed to him. He sat at the end of a table so long he couldn't see the other side. The table was brimming with food and he invited everyone he knew to come and eat as much as they liked. Jaya and Yao sat on either side of him and the little girl he'd given that orange was there too. The Chou's were locked up in a cage, just out of reach of all the food on the table. Wan turned over in his sleep and smiled.

…...

The spring rains made way for the hot summer sun. People started to avoid going outside longer than needed during the midday hours and when they did, they stuck to the shade. Wan and Jaya's main concern now became coming by enough water, but in the outskirts, most people tended to share what little they had. Wan had promised his friend he would stay away from the Chou's and their guards and so he did, but that also meant he had fewer opportunities to steal something decent. He knew he was getting a bit of a reputation and more often than not he had to sneak around at night so no one would see him. It was tiresome and he still secretly wished he could become a Hunter one day. Just for one day. Just to know what fire was like.

His chance came sooner than he had ever expected. For once, he was strolling down the street during the day. It was early morning, so there weren't many people about. He spotted a man distributing posters and flyers. Wan got hold of a flyer and studied it closely. It depicted a fancy drawing of four men in heavy leather armor. They didn't carry weapons, but instead, they held out their hands and large flames bloomed forth out of their palms. The flames were aimed at creatures painted in dark colours, with huge teeth and red eyes. Wan couldn't read a single character, but the drawing was more than enough to get him exited. He went to the man distributing the posters.

"Excuse me," he said. The man looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Could you tell me what's it saying on your posters?"

The man scolwed at him a bit. "Haven't you heard? The Hunters are looking for new recruits. Not that they'd hire a lowlife like you." He turned away from Wan and continued with his work.

"We'll just have to see about that." Wan mumbled to himself as he folded the flyer and put it away under his clothes.

…...

"You're kidding, right?" Jaya gave him an incredulous look. He was holding the flyer in his right hand. Wan shook his head resolutely.

"I'm going to try it." he said.

"You're insane!" Jaya exclaimed. "They'll never accept you. Besides, you're still wanted by the Chou's for trying to steal from them. You're going to get yourself killed. Or worse, banished into the Spirit Wilds."

"Oh, don't get banished!" Yao said, agitated by the tense atmosphere in the hut. "If a Spirit gets you... They get inside you, they scramble you up, they... They turn you into a monster!" He dramatically buried his head into his arms and slumped back into the corner of the room.

"Just forget about it, Wan." Jaya said, after giving Yao a concerned look. Wan had no intention of being persuaded that easily.

"This could be the chance of a lifetime." he said. "If it works, we'll never have to be hungry again."

"You're a thief!" Jaya said.

"I'll tell them I want to better my life." Wan answered. "It could work."

"And what if it doesn't?" Jaya blinked. "What if it does? You'll have to go into the Wilds."

"But I'll have fire. Fire, Jaya!" Wan 's eyes were big with exitement. His friend shook his head slowly.

"Can I just go and try?"

Jaya crossed his arms over his chest. "Nothing I say is going to change your mind." he said. "Fine. Just make sure you come back."

"Don't worry." Wan smiled. Jaya tried to give him an angry look but it failed. "You know I'm usually lucky."

"Yeah. Usually..."

"I'll be back before you know it." Wan assured.

"I hope so." Jaya sighed. Wan patted him on the shoulder, took the flyer from him and left the hut.

The Hunter's headquarters were all the way up the hill, near the Chou's palace. Wan had a pretty hard time staying out of sight and he was fairly sure at least some people recognized him. But he managed to get to the front door of the Hunter's building without any trouble. The building wasn't all that big, but it was impressively built and decorated elaboratly. The door was made out of wood and carved in the image of a spiny boar with huge tusks and antlers. The knocker was was shaped into the form of a tiger's head. Wan glanced over his shoulder, suddenly nervous. He was starting to doubt himself a little. Jaya wasn't wrong; this probably was an insane thing to do.

"You won't know if you don't try." Wan muttered to himself, grabbed the knocker and banged the door three times.

It seemed to take forever for anyone to come answer. Wan was trying to decide whether he should knock again or just blow it all of and go home, when the door swung open.

…...

_Author's note: well, I'm pleased with how this turned out. The pacing is better, it's more detailed and generally an improvement. _

_If you're joining in just now, this fic is a rewrite of 'Beginning of Legends' a fic I started writing about a year ago. I've left it for some time, but now I'm back and I'm rewriting the whole thing. I hope you've enjoined this first chapter, whether you're a returning reader or a new one. Update soon? I hope so. Cheers._


	2. The Hunters

Chapter 2: The Hunters

The heavy wooden of the Hunter's headquarters door swung open and Wan couldn't help but shrink back a little. The man in the doorway was tall and heavy, with broad shoulders and a big beard.

"What is it?" he said in a gruff tone, looking down at Wan with a hint of disdain.

"Well, I, eh..." Wan scolded himself silently. He wasn't usually this easily intimidated. As a thief, you needed to be bold. He pulled himself together and took the flyer out from inside his clothes.

"I'm here to become a Hunter." he said, holding out the flyer and putting up his most eager expression. "I heard you're looking for new recruits."

The tall man in the doorway raised an eyebrow, eyeing Wan up and down closely, from his skinny figure to his thorn clothes. Then, he burst out in laughter. Wan's smile slid of his face like a snail down a wall.

"That's a good one, kid." the tall man said, wiping a tear from the corner of an eye. "I had no idea you outskirts folk had such a good sense of humor." He turned around and slammed the door shut. It took Wan a few moments and a few deep breaths to regain his composure. He had expected some resistance to the idea of a simple guy like him wanting to become Hunter, but this... His first thought was to turn around a go home. Then again, he didn't want to put up with Jaya's silent 'I-told-you-so' treatment. His second thought was to knock on the door again and tell the tall Hunter exactly what he thought of his smug face and stupid beard, but he dismissed the idea, since it was probably the best way to get him banned forever from becoming a Hunter and that wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

He knocked on the door again, the flyer still in his hand. As expected, the tall man appeared once more.

"You again?" he asked, irritated.

"I want to become a Hunter." Wan said, holding up the flyer again.

"Listen, kid," the tall man said, his expression darkening. "It was funny the first time, but I don't have the time or patience to deal with the likes of you. Go home."

"But I..." The door slammed shut again.

"At least give me chance!" Wan yelled, but there came no response. He sighed angrily and turned around, stuffing the flyer in his tunic. He had no intention of going home yet. He almost knocked on the door again, but he didn't want to anger the Hunter even more. Unsure of what the right course of action was, he spend the rest of the day hanging around in the upper city, hiding in back alleys and observing the Hunter's headquarters from around corners and on rooftops. He saw there were four Hunters: the tall man that had answered the door, a man average in height with a thin mustache, a skinny man with sly eyes and a younger one with a rather prominent nose. Around noon, they left the building all at once and headed into the city. Wan followed them from a distance, trying to be as inconspicious as possible, which was rather difficult since the Hunters mostly stuck to the busy main streets and open places. He got stared at a few times by random people, to which he responded by waving happily at them and making sure he got away quickly. Luckily, the Hunters moved at a slow pace, so he didn't have a hard time relocating them. They often stopped to talk to people, mostly young men about his age, but usually taller, better clothed and not underfed. Wan had a pretty good guess as to what they were talking about, but it didn't look like any of the men the Hunters spoke to had any intention of joining them.

It was already getting dark by the time the Hunters returned to their headquarters. Wan waited until they were inside and could see the light of candles shine through the paper coverings of the windows. He then left the alley he had concealed himself in and went to knock on the door again. This time, it got answered by the young man with the big nose.

"Oh. Hello." he said, a mild look of surprise on his face.

"I'm here to become a Hunter." Wan said. He leaned to one side a bit to catch a look of the inside of the building and to make sure the tall Hunter wasn't too close.

"You must be that guy that Chang talked to this morning." the young man said. "You're pretty persistent." Wan ignored that remark.

"So did you guys have any luck recruiting anyone yet?" he asked. A look if irritation crossed the other man's face. Wan found it oddly satisfying.

"No?" he asked, trying to look innocent. The other didn't respond right away, instead stepping outside, keeping the door ajar.

"I know who you are." he said, giving Wan a look. "You're lucky Chang didn't turn you in to the Chou's guards."

"I'm lucky a lot." Wan said carelessly.

"Sure. Here's another thing, though..." The other leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I don't know if the others noticed, but I saw you followed us the whole day. You're good at staying out of sight. The Chou's want your skin, but they haven't caught you. It's like they're not even trying. That takes talent, I'd say."

"What's your point?" Wan asked. He wasn't sure where this conversation was heading, although he had a bit of an idea.

"My point? I don't know." the young Hunter said. "I'm just saying that, if it were up to me, you'd stand a chance of joining." He shrugged. "Don't count on it. You're a lowlife and a thief."

"Can't you talk to your boss? Chang?" Wan asked, but before the Hunter could answer, the door flew open and Chang the Hunter appeared and he didn't look happy at all.

"What's going on here?" he demanded. His expression turned furious when he spotted Wan. "You!" he growled. He shoved the younger Hunter out of the way and reached for the thief, but only managed to grab a fistful of air.

"You really won't consider?" Wan said with a grin on his face. He dodged Chang's hand again and made a run for it. He heard the tall Hunter curse and the younger one say: "He's pretty fast, you know."

By the time Wan got back to the hut, it was completely dark. There was no moon and the light of the stars wasn't strong enough to shine through the trees, but Wan knew this path so well he could practically find it with his eyes closed.

"Wan! You're back!" Jaya exclaimed when his friend entered the hut. Wan had rarely seen him so relieved.

"Were you really worried?" he said jokingly.

"Only a little bit. All day." Jaya answered. "So how'd it go? Are you hungry?"

"Can't remember a time I haven't been." Wan said. He sat down and happily accepted a small turnip from his friend. Jaya and Yao watched him eagerly.

"Well?" Jaya pressed.

"Could've been worse." Wan said in between two bites. "I didn't get accepted, but I think I might get a chance later."

"What does that mean?" Jaya asked. Wan explained to him about how Chang had been angry and about the young Hunter who had admired his skills.

"So... What does that mean?" Jaya asked again.

"It means I'll keep trying." Wan said. Jaya shook his head slowly.

"C'mon, Wan." he said, a sort of tired expression on his face. "It's already a small miracle you didn't get turned over to the Chou's. You can't keep pushing your luck like that."

"The Hunters are having a hard time finding new recruits." Wan explained. "If they can't find anyone else, they'll start to consider. Come to think of it, I've never known them to actively recruit before."

"That's hardly surprising." Jaya said. "You'd have to be pretty crazy to actually want to go into the Spirit Wilds, even with fire. I really don't get why you would want to do that. Sure, the Hunters are rich and very respected, but still..."

"I say it's worth it." Wan said. Jaya shrugged and didn't bring the subject up again that evening, but when Wan went out again the next morning, his friend looked more concerned than ever.

…...

Wan went to the Hunter's headquarters almost every day for weeks. He tried to make sure Chang didn't answer the door every time he knocked, but the tall Hunter learned to expect him. After a while, Wan gave up on going to the building directly, but instead he sought out the other Hunters, especially the younger one he'd talked to before. His name was Li and he usually acted like he didn't want to talk to Wan at all, but he did drop hints every so often that Wan probably was their best (and only) candidate so far. The other two showed very little interest in the thief and the one with the sly look in his eyes threatened to call the Chou's guard on him, so he left them be.

One evening, near the end of summer, Wan found Li strolling alone on his way to his house.

"Found any recruits yet?" Wan asked, popping up from behind the other young man. Li jumped, startled.

"Could you not do that?" he said angrily. Wan struggled to keep a grin of his face.

"Well?" he said. Li waved a hand at him, as if to dismiss him.

"It's not really any of your business." he replied.

"Hey. Enough with the dodgy answers." Wan said. "I know there's no one that's even considering it."

"Like I said, it's none of your concern." Li didn't look at him and sped up his pace a bit. Wan did the same.

"So, should I try knocking on your headquarter's door again?" he asked. Li shrugged.

"It's your problem." he said. "Chang would be more than happy to call the Chou's guard to come and arrest you. Like he should've done in the first place."

"Why hasn't he done so yet, then? Or any of you?" Wan asked. Li didn't answer. He had reached his house and went inside, shutting the door firmly. Wan loitered outside a bit, but he knew there wasn't much point in that, so he left after some time. He passed by the Hunter's headquarters and saw there was still someone inside, judging by the light coming from the windows. He wondered if it was Chang and if it was a good idea to try to convince him to at least consider letting him join.

Wan knocked on the door and it was indeed Chang that opened it. The tall Hunter's brow furrowed when he saw who the visitor was. Wan opened his mouth to say something, but before he even realized what happened, Chang grabbed him by the front of his tunic and pulled him inside, threw him on the floor and shut the door firmly. Wan scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting around the room looking for any sort of escape. If he would've been outside, it would've been easy. He would run, climb up a roof or jump on a wall, but here, he was cornered and Chang blocked the only exit.

"You're not going anywhere." the tall man said."I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd show up again." He grabbed Wan by his clothes again dragged him across the room. Wan tried to struggle, but he was no match at all for the taller and much more muscular man. Chang pushed him against the far back wall, into the corner.

"Don't get cozy." he said. "Even if this room is a lot more comfortable than the Chou's dungeons." Chang backed away, but kept his eyes fixed on the thief. Wan didn't move but he kept looking around for any means of helping him escape. The room he was in was surprisingly small, even if it was big enough for all the Hunters to be comfortable. There was a small fire burning in the middle, with big, soft cushions placed around it. The floor was covered in elaborate carpets and the walls were decorated with skins of various animals. There where cupboards and cabinets made from dark wood and as soon as Wan started to pay attention to the smell, he knew at least some of them were stocked with food. His stomach grumbled loudly. He tried to focus, but aside from the door and a few windows, none of which were close near him, there were no direct exists. There was a door to the right of him, but he figured it led to the back rooms of the building, so he probably would get stuck in there if he tried to make a run for it that way. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

Chang seemed rather relaxed. He sat down by the fire and poured himself a cup of tea. Wan tried to guess what he was thinking. He was probably alone here, otherwise he would've headed out to fetch the Chou's guard already. Then again, what stopped him from tying Wan down or locking him up properly so he wouldn't escape while the Hunter was away?

"What are you doing?" Wan asked after several minutes of silence. Chang had done nothing but drink tea and observe the young man.

"I'm having a nice cup of tea. " the Hunter answered sarcastically. Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I mean, for a guy eager to turn me over to the Chou's, you're not doing a very good job at it." he said. "What's the deal with that? You've had dozens of opportunities. I'm sure you know I've been talking to your colleagues."

Chang didn't answer right away. He poured another cup of tea and sipped it slowly.

"I wonder why you want to join us so badly." he said at long last. "You see, we Hunters are very respected. The people look up to us. Even the Chou's hold us in great esteem. After all, we provide them with the meat and rare resources they're so fond of. Yet, there's no one in the whole city so eager as you are to face the dangers of the Spirit Wilds." He raised an eyebrow at Wan and sipped his tea again.

"I just want to join." Wan answered. "I want to better my life. There's not much to it if you're hungry all the time and have no choice but to steal to survive." He bit his lip and averted his gaze, trying to look genuinely regretful and miserable. When he looked up again, he saw Chang stare into his cup, deep in thought. _I'm getting away with this_, he thought. Chang mumbled something under his breath, put the cup down firmly and got to his feet. He walked over to Wan, a displeased look in his eyes.

"The Hunt leaves tomorrow at sunrise. You get one chance to prove yourself. Just one. Do not disappoint me or you will regret it." He towered over Wan menacingly. "The only reason I'm not turning you in to the Chou's is because, apparently, you're the only one in this damned city with some guts. I'll ignore the fact you're a lowlife thief, but only until I can be sure you're worth the trouble." He turned around and stomped away to the door. There, he turned to face Wan again.

"One more thing," he said. "You'll be staying here until morning. I'll leave the door open, in case you change your mind. If you're not here anymore when I return, I will let the Chou's have you if I ever see you again. Consider it a first test." Wan nodded quietly. "Get some rest," Chang continued. "There's food in the cupboards. Gather some strength while you can, you'll need it. Even with the power of fire, the Wilds are a dangerous and unpredictable place. We'll be out there for a week." With that, he turned around and left the building, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Wan waited for a few moments before walking away from the corner. He kept an eye on the door, slowly making his way to the cupboards on the other side of the room. He couldn't believe his luck and half expected Chang to return any minute with the Chou's guard, as if everything he said had been a lie to keep him here without much trouble. For some reason, Wan didn't want to believe that scenario, but he was on edge the whole night. Nevertheless, he ate and drank from the cupboards untill his stomach hurt and he could do nothing but lay by the fire and feel a bit guilty because he was warm and fed and his friends were out there, cold and hungry. Even after hours had passed, he still expected Chang to bust in and he didn't fall asleep until very early in the morning.

…...

He was awoken by a loud bang and a bright light. Wan blinked furiously and sat up, shielding his eyes with his hand.

"You're still here, then. Hm." Chang's gruff voice sounded from the doorway. Wan's eyes were getting used to the light now and he saw the tall Hunter enter the room, along with the three others. Li was the last and he gave Wan a small smile.

"Get up." Chang barked as he crossed to room the the back of the building. The other two barely looked at Wan and went to the cupboards to fetch their breakfast. Despite the amount of food he'd eaten last night, Wan felt hungry again, but he didn't really dare to get some until Li nodded at him that it was okay.

"Kid. Put this on." Chang returned from the back rooms and threw a set of heavy leather armor at Wan's feet. It took the young man a while to figure out what parts of the armor went where and Li ended up helping him put it on correctly. It turned out the outfit was meant for a taller and much broader man than Wan, so he ditched the chest peace, the waist guard and shoulder plates, but found the shoes, shin plates and arm coverings quite comfortable once he figured how out to lace them properly. The others gave him a look and he shrugged.

"It'll only get in the way if I put it all on." he said.

"Whatever." Chang grumbled. "Go naked for all I care." The two older Hunters snickered.

The sun was already rising above the rooftops when the Hunters and Wan left the headquarters. They made their way down the hill, along the city's main street. Chang marched ahead at a fast pace and Wan had a hard time keeping up, despite the fact he was wearing much less than the others. They hadn't entrusted him with anything but the armor, so the others all had backpacks with supplies and yet they still outran him. Wan started to wonder if they always moved this fast or that they were just testing him again. By the time they were leaving the city's outskirts behind, he was sweaty and panting.

The Hunt wasn't quite ready yet to head into the Wilds. Chang led them around and up a slope to a rocky ledge that faced the city. Wan had never left the city before and this was the first time he saw it from a distance. On top of the hill was the Chou's palace, sticking out above everything else. All the way down at the bottom were the trees where his hut stood. He let his gaze wander over his home and as he did, he saw a large, smooth and oddly shaped boulder in front of the hill. He inhaled sharply when he realized what it was.

"The Lion Turtle..." he whispered.

Chang took out a horn, put it to his lips and blew on it. A clear, long note filled the valley and echoed against the city's walls. For a few moments, it was quiet. Then, a rumbling sound came up from deep within the earth. The smooth, mossy boulder in front of the Hunters started to move, revealing a pair of closed eyes, a nose and a large, wide mouth with fangs easily the size of tree trunks. To the left and right, the earth started to come up, fell apart and revealed what had to be the creature's paws, fitted with claws, long and black. The head had in the meantime risen to the same level of the slope the humans stood on. Pieces of dirt and rocks fell from its sides. Slowly, the eyes opened. They were the colour of trees, stones and ancient things. Although the eyes weren't fixed on him, Wan still felt small and insignificant. This creature was the oldest and wisest living being there was. There was a subtle, deep sound that grew, faded away and grew back again. Wan realized it was the great animal's breathing.

The hill the city was built on wasn't a hill at all but the shell of the Lion Turtle. The people had built the city on top of it a long time ago when they had to flee from the Spirits in the Wilds and the great Lion Turtle was the only creature big and strong enough to protect them. For centuries, humanity had lived in peace and the Spirits had left them alone, but from time to time, people had to venture into the Wilds to gather resources they couldn't grow or otherwise come by themselves. The Lion Turtle had the ability to provide humans with a special gift, so they had a form of defense against the Spirits. Wan knew all the stories and the legends, but he had never seen the Lion Turtle, since he had never left the city before. He wondered what was going to happen exactly. Just like every inhabitant of the city, he knew the Hunt set out when the tremours of the waking animal were felt, not too heavily so nothing was ever destroyed, although sometimes a pot or bowl would fall off a shelf and break. The people saw the tremours underneath their feet as a comforting sign they were protected and sheltered from much worse things. Most people lived their lives and never spend a second thought on their peace and on the Lion Turtle and the power it had. But some of them would become Hunters and see the Lion Turtle, venture into the Wilds and encounter the dangers that awaited them there, but they would also know what it was to wield the power of fire.

_And that's why I'm here_, Wan thought.

"Great Lion Turtle, Protector of our city!" Chang spoke loudly. "Today, me and my fellow Hunters venture into the Wilds to find food and resources for our people. We ask of you that you grant us the power of fire, so we may defend ourselves."

The Lion Turtle blinked slowly and then opened its mouth to speak. Its voice was booming and the Hunters had to refrain themselves from covering their ears.

"_The power of fire is yours to keep, until your return."_

Chang turned around and gave Wan a shove. "You're first, kid." he said.

With his stomach feeling as if it were tied in knots and his legs feeling as if they would give away underneath him any moment, Wan stepped forward. Dispite all the stories and legends about the Hunt and the Lion Turtle, how the great animal bestowed the power of fire upon humans was a well kept secret. He swallowed and his heart sped up as he watched the Lion Turtle lift one of its mighty paws. By the time the paw was at his level, he was almost too scared to move. He didn't believe the animal was going to hurt him, but its claws were big enough to tear him apart where he stood and they were moving straight towards him. Wan's eyes widened, but he shrunk away only a little bit when the Lion Turtle's claws touched him, surprisingly gentle for a creature so large. One tip of a claw now rested on Wan's forehead and the other on his chest, near his heart. At first, it was as if nothing happened, but then, Wan could feel a kind of heat come from where the tips of the claws were. It trickled to his limbs and down his spine and he couldn't help but shiver. The heat spread to the tips of his fingers and toes and it was as if it wavered slightly, like a candle flame in a sigh of wind. The Lion Turtle lifted its paw away.

Wan blinked few times and stared down at his hand. He didn't feel essentially different, but something had definitely the others lined up to receive the gift from the Lion Turtle, he walked a few steps away, while he was trying to get a grip on what the great animal had just done to him. The only visible marks it had left were light spots on the places its claws had touched his skin and they were already fading. Yet, there was _something_... Wan could feel it when he breathed in deeply. He held out his hand in front of him, the palm turned to face the horizon and he exhaled. A massive burst of fire bloomed forth from his palm, nearly burning his fingertips. He stumbled backwards, tripped over a rock and fell. The fireblast evaporated quickly, but its light left a smudgy mark in Wan's vision. He heard the Hunters laugh behind him.

"Just aim at the Spirits and not us, okay?" Chang said. He led the Hunters away from the ledge and to the woods.

The Lion Turtle slept in a valley surrounded by a deep, lush forest. Mountains stood in the distance and smoke sometimes rose up from some of the peaks. The valley itself was a sheltered place with a mild climate, although the summers could be dry and hot and the winters wet, but the humans never had to deal with truly extreme weather. The end of summer was near and while it was still hot, the day became more clouded and the air more humid. The woods were filled with mists and distant noises and the Hunters quickly felt the sweat on their foreheads and a tight knot of nerves in their stomachs. Chang led them down a path that looked like it was used often, although the plants threatened to overgrow it the deeper they followed it. Wan walked at the back of the group. He definitely felt on edge and that feeling intensified the deeper they ventured into the Wilds. He looked left and right, his eyes wide open. The others didn't speak so he figured it would be a good idea to keep quiet. At times, he thought he saw something move, but whenever he looked closer, it was nothing but a few drops falling or a small insect scurrying away. He licked his lips and decided it was time to put his plan into motion. He picked up his pace a bit and walked closer to Li.

"Good, you're keeping up." the Hunter said in a hushed tone. "Spirits love to pick out stragglers."

Wan nodded. "I thought I saw something, though." he said. "Could something be following us?" He put up a worried face. Li shrugged.

"Maybe." he said. "We'll give it a hard time if it decides to show itself."

"Uuhhh, sure..." Wan grinned nervously. Li raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything.

The truth was, Wan did feel more nervous than he liked to admit, so he didn't have to act much at all. He had no intention of staying in this forest any longer than necessary. He was just waiting for the perfect moment.

The mists deepened and so did the silence. The Hunters had been walking for nearly half an hour and Wan grew more anxious. He was sure he could find the way back, but the path became more winded and overgrown. He looked behind him and it was as if the forest had closed them in, although the path did remain clear enough to follow and the surrounding bushes and trees were still quiet and apparently devoid of anything bigger than crickets. Wan swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Guys?" he piped up. The Hunters stopped and turned to look at him, Li somewhat surprised but the others mostly annoyed, especially Chang. Wan hunched a bit and rubbed his arms, while letting his gaze wander to the trees. "I don't think I can do this..."

As expected, Chang stomped to him with a more than angry expression. The other two Hunters exchanged a look and Li seemed oddly surprised and almost looked concerned.

"What is it with you all of a sudden?" Chang grumbled. "We haven't even seen a Spirit yet."Wan took a few steps backwards, lightly shaking his head.

"I want to go home." he muttered, using the most miserable and pathetic tone he could muster. Chang's expression darkened further.

"So much for bettering your life, then." he snapped. "I knew you were nothing but a sniveling little coward." He grabbed Wan by his tunic, shook him hard and pushed him away, causing the young man to fall backwards. Wan got to his feet again quickly, struggling to keep the anger from breaking through on his face. He had to keep acting scared.

"Go give your fire back to the Lion Turtle," Chang growled. "And consider yourself lucky I don't have energy or time left to waste on delivering you to the Chou's personally. Don't ever show your face around me again."

He turned around and stomped away furiously. The other two Hunters followed without giving Wan a second glance, although he heard them whisper to each other about lowlife cowardly thieves. Li, on the other hand, looked surprisingly dissappointed and even angry, although he didn't say anything and soon turned around as well to follow his companions, leaving Wan by himself on the path.

Wan didn't waste any time. He started to run back, finding it easier than he had thought to find the way. The path became clearer the further he returned and he left the woods behind much faster than he had expected. He couldn't help but grin at the fact he had gotten away with it so easily. He knew he had been taking a huge risk, but everything had played out so well he was starting to believe it was all meant to be. The only thing that bothered him was Li's expression. He would by no means call the Hunter a friend, but it was probably thanks to him that Wan had gotten this far in the first place and he did feel a bit bad for disappointing him. But in time, it wouldn't matter anymore, so Wan tried to forget about it altogether.

He didn't go back to the ledge and to the Lion Turtle once had left the woods, but instead, headed straight back to his hut and to his friends. He was happy to find both Jaya and Yao there, even if the old man never went a few yards away from the hut and Jaya never went much further than the outskirts.

"Wan! You're back!" Jaya exclaimed, jumping up. He looked so relieved that Wan could've sworn he saw tears glisten in his eyes.

"Of course I'm back," he said, laughing at his friend's reaction. Jaya shook his head but he still smiled nonetheless.

"You're insane." he said. "Where have you been?"

"With the Hunters." Wan answered. He grinned mischievously and held out his right hand. Jaya and Yao gave him a confused look. He took a deep breath and a reasonably sized flame burst up from his palm. As expected, his friends reacted absolutely shocked. What he had not expected was how fearful Yao looked and how angry Jaya was.

"What did you do?!" he yelled. "You can't steal from the Lion Turtle!"

Taken aback, Wan closed his hand and the flame disappeared. He raised his hands in a calming gesture.

"Jaya, it's okay." he said. "This was all part of the plan."

"What plan?" the other young man exclaimed. "Thanks for sharing it with us!"

"You never would've let me go through with it if I did." Wan explained. "I never meant to upset you." He had no idea what the best thing to say was. Jaya was usually a rather soft spoken, timid person, completely different from Wan. He had never seen him this infuriated.

"Listen," he said. "Remember that time you said that some people have power and some don't? And that's just the way things are? I don't agree with that, you see. I want to change things. So I took a little power for myself."

Jaya didn't seem to calm down. "Oh." he said, breathing heavily. "Fantastic. This is going to make all the difference in the world, I bet." He turned away, but seeing as the hut barely had room enough for three people and what little belongings they had, he could only take about a step or two before he came to the furthest wall. Wan still stood in the doorway, so he didn't have an exit. He made a high pitched noise, crossed his arms over his chest and sat down, his back turned to his friend. Wan bit his lip and would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so tense. He sat down as well. Yao remained curled up in the corner, picking at the bark that covered the entire left side of his head, his eyes darting between the two young men, although neither of them said a word.

"I know you're overthinking it." Wan said after a while. Jaya shrugged, but didn't look at him. "Just imagine the possibilities for a bit. We always live in fear of the Chou's because they're bigger and stronger and have weapons they can hurt us with. That can all change now. We could take what we need. We won't have to be hungry anymore."

Jaya's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "I don't know, Wan." he said, still keeping his eyes on the wall. "Even with the power of fire, I don't think we stand a chance against the Chou's."

"But there's more people than just us that want to get back at the Chou's." Wan said. "Everyone living in the outskirts, everyone that has to struggle to come by some food every day. We can convince them to help us."

"What if we can't? What if someone sells you out?"

"Hey, you're talking to the luckiest guy to have ever lived." Wan boasted. Jaya now did turn to look at him, his face dripping with annoyance.

"It'll be fine. I've gotten this far already. But I'll need your help to talk to people."

"You didn't need my help for everything else." Jaya said sorely.

"I'm sorry about that." Wan said. "I should've told you something. At least enough so you wouldn't have had to worry so much."

"I thought you were dead, or something." Jaya now had a saddened look in his eyes.

"It'll be fine." Wan repeated. "We can change things, you'll see. But we can't do it alone, so first, we'll need to find people that want to help us. You know a lot of people around here, right?"

"Sure." Jaya nodded. "We could go by the farms later. I know Huo was making a fuzz yesterday when they came to collect taxes for the second time in two weeks."

"See, this is why I need you." Wan said. "I spend all my time in the streets, but you know what's going on around here."

"Oh." Jaya shrugged. "All I do is listen, really." But he smiled and Wan knew he had convinced his friend to join his cause. The next steps were probably going to be the hardest ones, but it would all be worth it in the end.

…...

_AN: this got quite long, but I'm pretty satisfied with it. Yes, more detailed storytelling and such, which is the point of this whole rewrite. Hope you've enjoyed. _

_My apartment is getting full of boxes, my shelves are getting empty. In two weeks, I'll be moving into my house. I probably won't be able to write much so I'm afraid the next update won't be before new year, but I'll try to get something done whenever I can find a few minutes._

_Please keep in mind that I'm not a native English speaker and even with a dictionary website in the background, I can still make grammar mistakes. Also, the spell check in my text program doesn't seem to work properly (wrong settings, I haven't figured it out yet). If you find any mistakes, let me know, I'll fix them._


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